Kitten help

redhairkid · 21st November 2006, 4:10 PM

Hello people
Yesterday we were given a young kitten to keep. He is a young male, I’m guessing not even a month old as he is tiny. Now the problem is we have an older male cat who seems very dominant. He’s attacked cats which have come into our yard and he chased our new female cat onto the road causing her to get hit by a car. I found him on the road when she was hit. Without other cats around he is fine. There is another female cat (not ours) which regularly visits our place and he is perfectly fine with her around. He has been desexed but tends to squirt the yard often. What would be the best way to introduce the cats? I’ve already shown it to him and he was hissing and took off. Later on I went to feed him and he didn’t seem too happy with me. I’m guessing he is jealous which is expected but I just want them to be able to get along with each other. I’m 90% positive he was the cause of one of our cats death and I don’t want this continual cat problem. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you

smee69 · 22nd November 2006, 6:16 PM

Keep the new kitten in a space away from the other cat. Try a bathroom or bedroom that can be closed off. Bring it out for short intervals each day - starting with about 10 to 15 minutes - when the other cat is around. (Make sure you go in and spend plenty of time in there with the kitten though!!) It can take up to a couple of months for the established cat to accept the new one.

Make sure they have their own kitty litter trays - in separate areas. Same with food and water bowls. And bedding.

When the two cats are together, make sure you respect the older one as the boss cat. Pat it and play with it, pay attention to it rather than the newbie while they are getting to know each other. Always feed the older cat first.

Other than that, it's just a matter of lots of time and patience. Some older cats will never accept another cat in their home. Hopefully yours will settle down given time and a bit of pampering.

Good luck!

VoldoX · 23rd November 2006, 2:18 PM

Exactly as the above post but if you can get them both to try and get used to each others smells, I would part open a door between two area's so they could sight but not hurt each other. It took around 4 weeks for my 2 yr old female to get used to my other female (Kitten at the time). Once they are cool with each other then they still need to feed mabye at least 1 or 2 meters apart and i recommend 1 litter box per cat for indoor cats.

kr0nic · 23rd November 2006, 2:39 PM

I believe the best way to 'introduce' cats is to do it on neutral ground, Eg not your family home. Either take them to a park or someone elses house. Just make sure you keep an eye on the little one until he gets big enough to defend himself

dogthinker · 23rd November 2006, 3:47 PM

If the kitten really is only a month old, it needs to spend as much time as possible with other animals (preferably cats, preferably your cat) as the first 3 months in particular are a cruical time in cat's social development. If he spends most of his time only with people he may have a lot of trouble later learning how to get along with other animals.

Best thing I can think off is to introduce the cats fairly frequently (supervise!) and hopefully the adult cat will get used to him quickly.

EDIT: if the kitten's mother is still around, ideally he should stay with her until he is about 10-12 weeks

redhairkid · 23rd November 2006, 11:43 PM

Thanks for all the replies.
Well I have been introducing them slowly and my full grown male cat no longer hisses. I'm still sure though that any chance he can get, he will attack it. I've also put the cat next to the bird cage with the rainbow lorikeet and the cat just stares at it with a fascinated look. The kittens mother still comes around and tends to circle the house quite a few times. Must be able to sense that it's child is indoors. Perhaps I should scare it off with a water pistol every time it comes? The kitten seems more relaxed now and he has learned what the kitty litter is for. I will keep introducing the two cats every day and hope for the best.

therazza · 25th November 2006, 12:16 PM

ALl the above is sound advice (not that I'm an expert :P)
I would also be squirting the older cat with water if it starts acting up against the kitten
That way it has a reflex reaction, hiss = water = don't hiss
Make sure everyone in the house makes the older one wet if he doesn't tow the line..

Best of Luck! Keep us informed

genesis[OFT] · 26th November 2006, 12:04 PM

Aww....kitten...post a pic

21st November 2006, 4:10 PM	#1
redhairkid Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW Posts: 1,677	Kitten help Hello people Yesterday we were given a young kitten to keep. He is a young male, I’m guessing not even a month old as he is tiny. Now the problem is we have an older male cat who seems very dominant. He’s attacked cats which have come into our yard and he chased our new female cat onto the road causing her to get hit by a car. I found him on the road when she was hit. Without other cats around he is fine. There is another female cat (not ours) which regularly visits our place and he is perfectly fine with her around. He has been desexed but tends to squirt the yard often. What would be the best way to introduce the cats? I’ve already shown it to him and he was hissing and took off. Later on I went to feed him and he didn’t seem too happy with me. I’m guessing he is jealous which is expected but I just want them to be able to get along with each other. I’m 90% positive he was the cause of one of our cats death and I don’t want this continual cat problem. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

23rd November 2006, 2:39 PM	#4
kr0nic Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 981	I believe the best way to 'introduce' cats is to do it on neutral ground, Eg not your family home. Either take them to a park or someone elses house. Just make sure you keep an eye on the little one until he gets big enough to defend himself __________________ C2D Q6600 G0 @ 3.5Ghz\|Gigabyte P35 DS3p\|2 GB G.Skill DDR2 800 HZ\| Sparkle 8800 GTS \| To many HDD's to list....\| Silverstone 800W PS Successful Trades - sammy_b0i, Reetzy OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member

22nd November 2006, 6:16 PM	#2
smee69 Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Brisbane Posts: 50	Keep the new kitten in a space away from the other cat. Try a bathroom or bedroom that can be closed off. Bring it out for short intervals each day - starting with about 10 to 15 minutes - when the other cat is around. (Make sure you go in and spend plenty of time in there with the kitten though!!) It can take up to a couple of months for the established cat to accept the new one. Make sure they have their own kitty litter trays - in separate areas. Same with food and water bowls. And bedding. When the two cats are together, make sure you respect the older one as the boss cat. Pat it and play with it, pay attention to it rather than the newbie while they are getting to know each other. Always feed the older cat first. Other than that, it's just a matter of lots of time and patience. Some older cats will never accept another cat in their home. Hopefully yours will settle down given time and a bit of pampering. Good luck!

23rd November 2006, 2:18 PM	#3
VoldoX Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Adelaide Posts: 108	Exactly as the above post but if you can get them both to try and get used to each others smells, I would part open a door between two area's so they could sight but not hurt each other. It took around 4 weeks for my 2 yr old female to get used to my other female (Kitten at the time). Once they are cool with each other then they still need to feed mabye at least 1 or 2 meters apart and i recommend 1 litter box per cat for indoor cats.

23rd November 2006, 3:47 PM	#5
dogthinker Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,854	If the kitten really is only a month old, it needs to spend as much time as possible with other animals (preferably cats, preferably your cat) as the first 3 months in particular are a cruical time in cat's social development. If he spends most of his time only with people he may have a lot of trouble later learning how to get along with other animals. Best thing I can think off is to introduce the cats fairly frequently (supervise!) and hopefully the adult cat will get used to him quickly. EDIT: if the kitten's mother is still around, ideally he should stay with her until he is about 10-12 weeks

23rd November 2006, 11:43 PM	#6
redhairkid Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW Posts: 1,677	Thanks for all the replies. Well I have been introducing them slowly and my full grown male cat no longer hisses. I'm still sure though that any chance he can get, he will attack it. I've also put the cat next to the bird cage with the rainbow lorikeet and the cat just stares at it with a fascinated look. The kittens mother still comes around and tends to circle the house quite a few times. Must be able to sense that it's child is indoors. Perhaps I should scare it off with a water pistol every time it comes? The kitten seems more relaxed now and he has learned what the kitty litter is for. I will keep introducing the two cats every day and hope for the best.

25th November 2006, 12:16 PM	#7
therazza Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,262	ALl the above is sound advice (not that I'm an expert :P) I would also be squirting the older cat with water if it starts acting up against the kitten That way it has a reflex reaction, hiss = water = don't hiss Make sure everyone in the house makes the older one wet if he doesn't tow the line.. Best of Luck! Keep us informed

26th November 2006, 12:04 PM	#8
genesis[OFT] (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 261	Aww....kitten...post a pic